Dr. David L. Soltz, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Central Washington University, has been selected to serve as the next president of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Soltz will begin his tenure at Bloomsburg on January 7. He will replace Dr. Jessica S. Kozloff, who has served as the University's president since July 1994. Dr. Kozloff will retire at the end of the year. Soltz was named provost of Central Washington in August 2001. Previously, he served for five years as dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University at Los Angeles. Details.
BU's music program has earned accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). The program is one of 617 programs accredited nationally. The accreditation process began five years ago and has been an ongoing process. Details.
BU freshman Jorge Maldonado is the only student in Pennsylvania and one of only 250 students from across the country to be awarded a scholarship through the Dell Scholars Program. The Dell Scholarship, funded through the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, is awarded to students with qualifying financial need who participate in a college readiness program. Since 2004, the foundation has provided more than $9 million in college scholarships to cover the costs of tuition, fees, books and room and board. Details.
The student representative on BU's Council of Trustees wants to make sure he stays involved. "There are really no set boundaries on how involved you can be and I want to be really hands-on," said James D'Amico, Mount Carmel, a senior majoring in elementary education. D'Amico was interviewed by a search and screen committee of nine individuals and then another interview by Judy Hample, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, before he was appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell. Details.
Christopher Bevan, president of the Community Government Association at BU, came to the university with a plan to be involved in student government. "It turned out that my orientation workshop leader was the president of CGA so, when I asked him how to get involved, he showed me where to sign up," said Bevan. Bevan, a native of Nanticoke and a graduate of Greater Nanticoke High School, is a junior at BU majoring in history. Details.
David W. Klingerman Sr. of Bloomsburg is the newest member of Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania's Council of Trustees. Vice president of JDK Management Co., Klingerman oversees the operations of nursing facilities, hotels and restaurants, as well as land development. He has owned and operated nursing care and assisted living facilities in northeast Pennsylvania since 1981 and earned certification as a licensed nursing home administrator in 1983. Details.
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A new university tennis club, to promote tennis among students, faculty, staff, and alumni, has been formed and welcomes players of all skill levels. More information about the club is available at here. Those interested in joining should contact Tim Rumbough, communication studies and theatre arts, at 389-4897.
John W. Folkins, chief executive officer of the Bowling Green State University Research Institute and one of five candidates for the Bloomsburg University presidency, will visit with campus constituent groups on Thursday, Aug. 30, and participate an open forum at 8:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 31, in 004 (Hudock Auditorium) Warren Student Services Center. Learn more about Dr. Folkins.
The computer science program at BU has earned accreditation from the ABET Inc., Computing Accreditation Commission through September 2009. Offered by BU's department of mathematics, computer science and statistics, the bachelor of science degree program in computer science has approximately 120 students. "The job placement rate is virtually 100 percent," said Curt Jones, department chairperson. Details.
John Hintz, assistant professor of geography and geosciences, has written an article, "Some Political Problems for Rewilding Nature," which appears in the current issue (Issue 10, Number 2) of the journal Ethics, Place and Environment.
Michael M. Patte, assistant professor of educational studies, offered the opening remarks and introduction of the featured speaker, the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the honorable Edward G. Rendell at the Pennsylvania Promise for Children Luncheon in Northumberland. In addition, Patte will be presenting two research papers at the National Association for the Education of Young Children's Annual Conference in Chicago this November, titled, "Examining Pre-service Teacher Perceptions of Family/School Partnerships: Implications for Teacher Education Programs" and "Play Matters: Promoting Play Through Research & Dialogue." Patte also recently co-authored a Community Engagement for Early Care & Education Grant for the amount of $37,750 that was funded by the office of Child Development and Early Learning in July, 2007.
Michael Ruffini, assistant professor of educational studies and secondary education, has written a book, "Designing and Creating Virtual Field Trips," published by with Pearson Publishing. Ruffini was also awarded MindManager Pro 7 software from Mindjet Corporation, for the McCormick Center, room 2229 computer lab for students and faculty.
Nancy S. Weyant, associate professor and coordinator of reference services in the Andruss Library, presented a paper at the biennial meeting of the Gaskell Society in Canterbury, England, profiling the patterns of scholarship published on Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell since 2001. She also updated the annual bibliographical supplements to her latest book, providing Gaskell scholars with easy access to resources on this Victorian author.
A. Blair Staley, associate professor of accounting and MBA program coordinator, and his colleague, Nace R. Magner, the J. C. Holland Professor of Accounting at Western Kentucky University, published a referred journal article, "Budgetary Fairness, Supervisory Trust, and the Propensity to Create Budgetary Slack: Testing a social exchange model in a government budgeting context" (2007) in Advances in Accounting Behavioral Research, 10, 159-182.
Jerry Wemple, associate professor of English, recently gave a poetry reading in the Washington, D.C., area. Wemple, co-editor of the "Common Wealth: Contemporary Poets on Pennsylvania" (Penn State Press, 2005), gave opening remarks and read several selections from the anthology. Joining him at the August 6 event in Friendship Heights, Maryland, was JoAnne Growney, a former BU mathematics professor and publishing poet.
Ralph M. Feather, Jr., assistant professor of educational studies and secondary education, published an "Online Instructor's Manual/Test Bank and PowerPoint Slides Supplement" (Copyright 2008) for "Teaching Secondary School Science: Strategies for Developing Scientific Literacy," 9th ed. with Prentice Hall Publishing Co.
Contractor workers lay in sod on the west side of the Academic Quad Tuesday morning in front of Sutliff Hall. Project details.
During his four years as a BU student, Nate Conroy represented the institution on the local and state level. In early August, he returned to BU as assistant director of alumni affairs, this time representing BU to current students and 54,000 living alumni. Conroy, 23, of Nescopeck, earned a bachelor's degree in secondary education/history from BU in 2006 and taught social studies at Columbia-Montour Area Vocational Technical School during 2006-07. As a BU student, he was president of the Community Government Association and one of three student representatives on the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Board of Governors. Details.
Bottled water may be more convenient than tap water, but it is no cleaner, healthier, or tastier and it generates a tremendous amount of unnecessary waste. Consider carrying a reusable sports bottle, or simply using a cup from your office or dorm room. You'll save money and landfill space. Amazing statistic: An estimated 16 million barrels of oil were used to make the bottled-water containers sold in the United States last year. Source: Harper's Index August 2007. Further reading: Bottled water awash in a sea of controversy - USATODAY.com
Approximately 140 freshmen and 50 Orientation Workshop Leaders completed 92 blankets Saturday afternoon for Project Linus. Project Linus is a national volunteer organization, established in 1995, that provides a sense of security, warmth and comfort to ill and needy children through the gifts of new, handmade blankets. An additional eight blankets were taken by students to be completed at another time. Each blanket is identified with a tag that indicated where the blanket was made and by whom.
BU police officer Dan Pitonyak gives a fire safety demonstration in the Kehr Union Friday night as part of new student orientation. In addition to discussing how to use fire extinguishers properly, Pitonyak gave tips on preventing fires.
Forty-seven new full-time teaching and administrative faculty will begin their duties at BU this academic year. Details.
The Roongo's Cafe serving team consists of, from left: Sharon Nardi, Roongo's manager, Maranda Laubach, Denise Hoffman, Shelva Blossum and Carol Hock.
As the renovated Roongo's reopens in Warren Student Services Center today, Aug. 27, more than seating space has been enlarged. Food options for students are also greatly expanded.
As the new Roongo's opens, Andruss Cafe's final day of operations was Friday, Aug. 24. Initially, plans were to close Andruss Cafe in October to allow for construction of the Starbucks in the Gathering Place. However, because a door and sink needed to be added to Andruss Cafe to meet new codes, the eatery closed a month early. Alternative locations are being explored.
At Roongo's, "We have an expanded deli, a melter and grill for paninis and sandwiches, as well as artesian breads," said Dave Giron, dining services director of operations. "There is a roaster for chicken, an oven for cookies, a steamer for fresh vegetables.
"While we will still bring up traditional favorites like macaroni and cheese from the Scranton Commons, the additional cooking tools will enable fresher food," Giron added. And yes, Giron said, there is more seating. Seating for 110 at booths and tables more than doubles the previous 50 seats.
Faculty member Duane Braun, geography and geosciences, lead the procession of faculty at the conclusion of New Student Convocation today in Haas Center.
"We believe education is the key to a safer, better world," BU President Jessica Kozloff told incoming students during the Aug. 24 convocation in Mitrani Hall. "We will do everything we can to prepare you for this world." Details.
President Jessica Kozloff has written a letter to students regarding the proposed town "social gathering" ordinance. More.
Freshmen Lauren Cooney of Philadelphia gets a cone with sprinkles from Teri Dollman in the Scranton Commons Friday. Students eat the ice cream, made in the Commons, at the rate of approximately 15 gallons a day during the semester.
All students at BU (except those who will be living on campus), including graduate students, must register their full local address including house number, apartment number (if applicable) and street where they will be living while taking classes for the 2007 fall semester. This should be done by going to STINF prior to the date classes begin. It is very important for records to be accurate because of emergency issues, parking permits, and financial aid review. If you are a non-degree student, please call 389-4734 to report your local address. If this address is not registered correctly by Sept. 7, a hold will be placed on your records. Contact the Off-Campus Housing Office at 389-4734 if you have any questions.
An anonymous BU alumna recently made a generous gift of stock in the amount of over $10,000 to establish the Elementary Education Scholarship, an endowed fund that will perpetually assist deserving students who have a desire to become educators. Gifts of stock are just one of the unique ways to give to BU, please visit www.bloomu.edu/giving to learn more about the ways that you can make a difference.
The student representative on BU's Council of Trustees wants to make sure he stays involved. "There are really no set boundaries on how involved you can be and I want to be really hands-on," said James D'Amico, Mount Carmel, a senior majoring in elementary education. D'Amico was interviewed by a search and screen committee of nine individuals and then another interview by Judy Hample, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, before he was appointed by Gov. Ed Rendell in a process that took about five months. Details.
David Greer, a freshmen business finance major from York, checks out at the University Store with a free reusable shopping. The store is giving out 2,000 of the free totes to students in the first days of move-in. The store is also undertaking a "Bag the Bag" campaign to cut down on plastic waste. Details.
In Columbia County, where 11.5 percent of the population lives below poverty level, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania students have stepped up to the plate to make sure food is available for those in need. A variety of volunteer efforts coordinated through BU's SOLVE Office provide food to the Bloomsburg Food Cupboard and other organizations, said Tim Pelton, AmeriCorps/VISTA volunteer. Student efforts resulted in donations of approximately 10 tons of food and more than $10,000 in 2006-07. Details.
BU's University Store is unveiling a new "Bag the Bag" campaign when students return to campus this week. During the busy back-to-school period, customers will receive a "Bag the Bag" buck each time they choose not to have their purchase placed in a plastic bag. These $1 coupons will be accepted throughout the fall semester toward the purchase of clearance merchandise. The University Store uses approximately 95,000 plastic bags each year. The weight of textbooks makes paper bags ineffective for carrying most purchases, said Beth Christian, manager of the University Store. Details.
John Riley and Bill Calhoun, department of mathematics, computer science and statistics, gave a presentation "Computer Forensics at Bloomsburg University" in the Works in Progress Session of the Digital Forensics Research Workshop held in Pittsburgh, August 13 - 15. They outlined the current state of the BU Computer Forensics program and its future plans. They also announced the establishment of HEX, The Collegiate Journal of Digital Forensics.
U.S. News and World Report's annual ranking of U.S. colleges and universities once again lists BU as one of the best. In data released this week, U.S. News lists BU as number 80 in Best Universities - Master's for the northern region. BU is tied with New York Institute of Technology, Regis College, St. Joseph's College and SUNY College - Brockport. Best Universities - Master's ranks institutions that offer a full range of undergraduate degrees and some master's degree programs but few, if any, doctoral degrees. Details.
Leadership training and team building form an integral part of BU's Quest program. "Most people think we're all outdoor programs, but most of our work is in team development," said Brett Simpson, associate director of Quest. Simpson said Quest offers leadership training programs and team building for businesses and universities. A team-building course can be developed in which each individual's success is dependent on how the team works together and the total participation of all members. Activities may include passing through a "giant spider's web" or swinging over a "pit of lava" using only two boards, he added. Details.
Christopher Bevan, president of the Community Government Association at BU, came to the university with a plan to be involved in student government. "It turned out that my orientation workshop leader was the president of CGA so, when I asked him how to get involved, he showed me where to sign up," said Bevan. Bevan, a native of Nanticoke and a graduate of Greater Nanticoke High School, is a junior at BU majoring in history. He was active in student government throughout his high school years and knew that it was a passion he wanted to pursue at college. Details.
Jeanne Fitzgerald, assistant director of career development, presented a personal development workshop to master coach candidates at the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's Bloomsburg Academy held on campus this past July.
Kevin J. Bowman, assistant professor of economics, has recently had an article accepted for publication, while another will appear this month. Both will be published in peer-reviewed journals. Endogenous Human Capital Investment and the Interaction of Frontier and Adoptive Technologies on Growth and Wage Inequality will appear in Economics of Innovation and New Technology in the Fall of 2008. Knowledge Stocks by Distance to Frontier: Linking Low Education Inequality to High Growth in Developing Countries will appear this month in The Journal of Asian Economics, 18(4), p. 613-635.
Titled "The Bench," a sculpture familiar to the BU community that used to be in the center of the old quad in front of McCormick Center for Human Services, will now occupy a spot on a small plaza near Andruss Library. The first of several pieces of the mammoth artwork is gently lowered into place Tuesday under the supervisory eye of art professor Karl Beamer (far right). It and other sculptures that were stored on upper campus are slowly returning to the new quad, a reflection of progress on the project.
Students who are even slightly interested in BU Ski and Board Club's annual trip to Canadian slopes are encouraged to immediately consider changing passport requirements and, if they don't have a passport, apply for one right away. Club leaders Steve Butters and Mike Glovannangelo report that it's currently taking up to 16 weeks to get a passport from the time an individual applies for one, and this year it's required for travel to Canada. Details of the club's trip are not firmly resolved, but they usually depart around Jan. 2. Learn more about the group and the trip requirements
A university tennis club, to promote tennis among students, faculty, staff and administrators, has formed and welcomes players of all skill levels. Plans include hitting practice, singles, doubles and mixed doubles, beginning Saturday, Aug. 4. The group plans to gather every day from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Courts 10 through 13 at the tennis center on upper campus. No black-soled shoes are allowed on these new courts.
Those interested should contact Tim Rumbough, Communication Studies and Theatre Arts, 389-4897.
Sharing books - Shayna Kogen (far right), a BU early childhood and elementary education major, shows a page from a book she created. At her left is Bella Carasco, a participant in BU's Migrant Community Project. Kogen worked with Carasco through a class taught by education professor Caryn Terwilliger. Children and the BU students who mentored them read from books they created Thursday morning in the Kehr Union Multicultural Center. Approximately two dozen children in kindergarten to eighth grade whose families are involved in seasonal work took part in the camp. |
Due to popular demand, additional Microsoft Office 2007 Information Sessions have been added for faculty and staff. The additional sessions over the next two weeks will take place in the Schweiker Room, Andruss Library in order to accommodate a larger audience. Learn about the schedule and how to register..
Mark Decker, assistant professor of English, presented "The Cold Exception: Reading Tom Godwin's 'The Cold Equations' Against Giorgio Agamben's State of Exception" at the annual meeting of the Science Fiction Research Association in Kansas City, Missouri on July 5.
Sybil L. Holloway, psychological counselor in the Center for Counseling and Human Development, recently had a book review published on Assessing Organizational Performance in Higher Education by Barbara A. Miller that is cited in the Spring 2007 issue of NACADA Journal: The Journal of the National Academic Advising Association. The complete review can be found here. Also, she published an article titled "Summer Relaxation" in the June 2007 issue of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association's e-Newsletter, Psychological News You Can Use. This newsletter can be found here.
George Davis, associate professor of biological and allied health sciences, and Mark Stocksdale, chemistry department at Earlham College, recently received a grant from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for $100,000 to study "Uptake Specificity of Synthetic Phytosiderophore Analogs by Graminaceous Plants." The grant will fund research for two years and will involve undergraduates at both Bloomsburg and Earlham. Students interested in doing research on this project at Bloomsburg during the summer of 2008 should contact Dr. Davis.
Gifts to the Bloomsburg University Annual Fund, regardless of size, help keep the cost of tuition at a reasonable level and provide the margin of excellence BU needs to offer students an outstanding educational experience. With gifts made this year, your support provided the following:
For more information about how you can make a difference for our students with a gift to the Annual Fund, please visit www.bloomu.edu/giving.
BU's TRiO Upward Bound Program will celebrate 29 years with refunding that will last until 2012. The program, which has been on BU's campus since 1978, has been continually refunded through a federal grant provided by the Department of Education. This year, the program received a five-year grant, rather than the traditional four-year grant.
"Our grant proposal, written under the direction of former director Maureen Mulligan, was in the top 10 percent of all applications submitted, so we were fortunate to receive a five-year grant," said Kate Bauman, project director of TRiO Upward Bound. Mulligan retired earlier this year. Details.
The BU student newspaper from 1923 through 1975, known during those years as the Maroon & Gold, is now available online in full-text format through the Andruss Library. It is fully searchable and can be accessed from the library's web page. This is the first of several digitization projects that will enable patrons to search or browse images of original documents relating to the history and development of the university, the community of Bloomsburg, and Columbia and Montour Counties. Questions about the Digital Collections project, as well as suggestions for possible additions, can be forwarded to Stephen Wiist, Robert Dunkelberger, or David Magolis at the Andruss Library.
Joseph D. Larkin, assistant professor of chemistry, has written an article, "A Computational Investigation of the Geometrical Structure and Protodeboronation of Boroglycine, H2N-CH2-B(OH)2," that appears in the Journal of Physical Chemistry A Issue 28.
John Okpara, associate professor of management, authored an article entitled "The Effect of Culture on Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment: A Study of Information System Managers in Nigeria" that was published in the Journal of African Business, Vol.8, No.1, pp.113-130, 2007. He and Pamela Wynn, Professor of Management, coauthored another article entitled "Determinants of Small Business Growth Constraints in a Sub-Saharan African Economy" that was published in the SAM Advanced Management Journal, Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 24-35.
James P. Purdy, assistant professor of English, presented "Making a Case for Digital Research in the First Year Writing Classroom" at the Penn State Conference on Rhetoric and Composition in July. The paper argues that processes of research advanced in many introductory composition instructional materials used to teach students about research practices work against creating the flexible, intuitive, creative researcher identities necessary for students to succeed as researchers in the academy (as undergraduates and beyond) and as civic participants in the world.
The Presidential Search committee recently met with candidates for BU's next presidency and has narrowed the pool. Those candidates selected will be offered on-campus interviews to take place later in August. Dates and information will be updated on the web-site as soon as information has been confirmed. Search committee information.
LCCC President Donald Snyder, left, and BU President Jessica Kozloff sign elementary education completion program and dual-admissions agreements
Officials from BU and Lehigh Carbon Community College formalized two agreements on Thursday, Aug. 2, that are designed to ease students' transition from LCCC associate's degrees to BU bachelor's degrees.
BU President Jessica Kozloff and LCCC President Donald Snyder signed the elementary education completion program and dual-admissions agreements at the community college's Morgan Center in Tamaqua.
The completion program agreement allows BU to offer upper-level elementary education courses at Lehigh Carbon Community College's Morgan Center. Students who receive an associate's degree in education at the community college will be able to earn a BU bachelor's degree at the Morgan Center campus, where BU faculty will teach all courses needed to complete the junior and senior years in elementary education.
Also signed was a dual-admissions agreement that simplifies the transfer process for students who begin their college studies at any Lehigh Carbon Community College campus with plans to complete their coursework at BU, said James Matta, BU's assistant vice president and dean of graduate studies and research.
Students who register for the dual-admissions program at Lehigh Carbon Community College are guaranteed admission to the parallel major at BU after earning an associate's degree and completing other course requirements. Sixty credits will transfer from the community college to BU, and the BU application fee will be waived. In programs available for the dual-admissions agreement, a student who follows an established sequence of courses with acceptable grades should be able to earn a bachelor's degree in four years.
The University Store announces that the Vera Bradley handbag line has been added to its gift department. The full collection has just arrived at the store, including the new fall patterns. The store continues to offer the Vera Bradley stationery collection including binders, notebooks, pencils, note cards and other stationery items.
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Upward Bound students get involvedHigh school students taking part in BU's TRiO Upward Bound program this summer recently learned about personal development through community involvement. TRiO Upward Bound held its first "United to Serve" Day on Saturday, July 7. Students involved in the program traveled to seven local sites for a day of service in the community. Details. |
BU is going on the road in a partnership with All State Career School to offer a CDL truck driving program. The program will give individuals a chance to pursue a Class A or a Class B license. The program for the Class A license will take 172 hours and result in an individual being able to drive a tractor and trailer combination. The Class B program is 80 hours in length and qualifies drivers for a passenger bus and a straight truck, such as a dump truck. Details.
